Space Between
by PhoneFics
Summary: Centered around LL2 first attempt at a wedding. A little one-shot that wouldn't escape my thoughts. A friendship fic between Emily and Liz. Liason endgame.


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 **Space Between**

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Her wedding day fast approaching, Elizabeth could feel her insides tightening, her heart aching with every passing second, knowing the day was imminent. She had to do this, she knows that, she owes this to him. To them. To everyone. This is what her life was meant to be. This is where her life should have gone before the fire and it's where it will go now that he has returned. This is her. She has to accept that.

"Elizabeth...hey." her best friend, Emily, voices at the doorway. "We're ready for you."

"For what?" she barely gets out as she meets her eyes.

"The bridal shower." Emily says as she walks into the room. "You okay?"

"I...yeah." she chokes out. "I'll be right there."

"You sure?" Emily looks at her with concern. "You look flush."

"I'm fine." she says through a tight smile. "I'll be out. Promise."

"Okay." Emily smiles slightly. "If you want to talk..."

"I know." Elizabeth assures. "I'm okay. Really."

"Okay."

Emily could see something was going on with her, but accepted that she wouldn't open up to her about it. She wonders how they had gotten to a place where they can't just be open with each other and right away she knows. It all started with her brother. Letting out a deep sigh, she rejoins the other ladies in the living room. Reassuring them that Elizabeth will be out soon. Which she does come out, but they weren't ready for Elizabeth to tear up and run out the door as fast as her legs could take her.

Elizabeth runs faster and faster down the streets of Port Charles, all the way to the Elm Street Pier, all the way to their bench. She can't do this. She can't give them what they want. The more she thought about marrying the Lucky, the harder it became to breathe, hating that this has become her life. How could she do this to herself? How could she give up every part of herself to appease them? Tears pouring like rain, she breaks apart inside knowing there was no way out.

"Elizabeth." Emily's voice tears through her. She tries to hide her tears, but she couldn't, it hurt too much.

"I'm so sorry." she blubbers. "I can't do this. I can't marry him, Em."

"Oh, Liz." she sighs, walking over to wrap her arms around her best friend. "I wish you would have come to me. I wish you would have told me this before."

"How could I?" Elizabeth counters, clinging to her. "Lucky's your oldest friend..."

"That doesn't matter. You are my best friend." Emily says as she pulls away. "That's unconditional. I thought you knew that."

"I don't know how this happened." Elizabeth shoots up from the bench. "I was supposed to love him always! Loving him wasn't supposed to rip me apart inside. Loving him shouldn't feel like torture, but it does! Its impossible to love him and it shouldn't be. Emily, it shouldn't hurt like this! What happened to us?"

"I think the correct question is who." Emily walks over to stop her pacing. "We both know why this happened. If you won't say it, I will. Jason."

"Emily..." she couldn't go there. She just couldn't.

"Admit it, Elizabeth. Everything you're going through, it's because you fell for Jason." Emily says carefully, reaching out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay. I know it's true."

"I'm so sorry..."

"You can't help who you love. You have to know that by now." Emily says softly. "I hate that I didn't see it sooner. I hate that I've put you in a position to hide from me."

"It's not your fault."

"Just like its not your fault that you fell out of love with Lucky." Emily says seriously. "Or that you fell in love with someone else. None of us could have seen Lucky's death coming. None of us could have seen us moving on without him or him returning."

"But he did come back! He came back and I should still love him. I owe him..."

"It's true that he did help you through your rape. He was a godsend." Emily agrees. "But you don't owe him your life. You don't owe him a marriage. Elizabeth, you don't owe him for being a decent human being. Him saving you shouldn't come with a price. It's not how it works. It's just not."

"Emily..."

"Above all else, Elizabeth, you need to forgive yourself for moving on. You need to forgive yourself for picking up the pieces and building a life without Lucky." Emily says seriously. "You need to forgive yourself for falling in love again. Because, as hard as it is to believe, it's not wrong. You did nothing wrong."

"What do I do now?" Elizabeth's voice is shaky.

"You let go." Emily says softly. "Let go of the obligation. Let go of what you think you owe people and find a way to be happy because that's all we can do. Those who matter will still be there...whatever you decide."

"I..." Elizabeth takes a deep breath before shaking her head. "I think I know what I need to do. If I write letters to everyone, would you give it to them for me?"

"Of course." she says without hesitation. "Are you going to do what I think?"

"I'm going to leave town for a while." Elizabeth admits. "Clear my head. I just can't think while I'm here. It's too much."

"Let me know when you want to leave." Emily says firmly. "I'll have the family jet ready to take you."

"Thank you for this, Emily." she hugs her tightly. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Believe it." she says softly. "Go on. Get packed and I'll call ahead to get things set up."

The two friends go their separate ways, preparing for Elizabeth's departure in their own way. Elizabeth quickly writes out a letter to Lucky, Nikolas, and her gram before packing up her things and making her way to Sonny's penthouse. It was a long shot, but she had to get a message to him. She had to fix them, somehow. Arriving at the penthouse, she doesn't walk inside, afraid of losing her nerve.

"You don't owe me anything, I know that, but I'm going to ask you to do something for me regardless." Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "I need you to tell Jason that I'm gone. That he can find me where the light is unlike anywhere in the world...if that's what he wants."

"What makes you think I can get ahold of him?"

"Because no matter what Jason wants, you'd never leave him out there unprotected." Elizabeth says seriously. "Please, Sonny, give him my message. Please."

"Okay." Sonny concedes. "I will."

"Thank you." she whispers before walking onto th elevator and calling up Emily, ready to leave this town behind her.

Arriving at the airstrip, she hugs Emily tightly, knowing that she was right. She needs to do this for herself. She hates that she'll be hurting Lucky but he didn't deserve a loveless marriage. He didn't deserve any of this. Handing off her letters, they promise each other that they'd see each other again before Elizabeth boards the plane and takes off to the one place she has dreamt of all her life.

Landing in Italy, she makes her way to the Bridge of Sighs, having talked to Jason about so many times. If he was going to look for her anywhere, she knows he'd start there. Dropping her luggage to the side she stands at the center of the bridge, taking in a deep breath. She knows it's a long shot. It could take a while before he finally made his way to Italy, if he even wanted to, but she had to try. She had to.

"Elizabeth." his voice sounds off from the entrance to the bridge, sending hope straight to her heart.

"Jason." she says softly as she turns to look at him, shock clearly displayed in his eyes as he practically runs over to her.

"Its real...you're real." he says softly, framing her face in his hands. "When Sonny called...I didn't know what to think. I hoped...I wanted it to be real..."

"I know...I'm so sorry, Jason." she says with tears in her eyes. "I never should have stayed. I never should have let you walk away."

"Shh...it doesn't matter. It doesn't." he insists. "Nothing else matter but this...right here...right now. You're here."

"I'm here." she whispers, leaning into his touch. "For as long as you'll have me."

"Forever." he whispers, laying his forehead against hers. "I want you for forever."

"I love you, Jason." Elizabeth says wholeheartedly. "I need you to know that."

"I know it." he pulls away to meet her eyes. "I know it like I know my love for you. I just wasn't sure you'd ever see it."

"I have fought it for so long...so badly that it hurt." she admits. "I don't want to fight it anymore. I can't. I want you and I won't let anyone stop me this time. I won't."

Jason stares deep into her eyes, seeing what he had always known was true, before he carefully claims her lips with his. He never saw this coming. He never believed it could happen. As much as he knew she loved him, he knew she was torn between her past and the future he offered her. Having her there now, he makes a silent promise to himself that he'll fight hell and high water before he let's anyone take her from him again.

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 **Note: A little story that was floating around in my head that I couldn't get out of writing because it would have kept me awake and I cherish my sleep. Anyway, it was rough written so I hope you enjoyed.**


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